Monsters
by Blue Wolf2
Summary: "You forget, I brought her back from the dead!" A series of one shots centered around hurt and comfort. Just T/Z for now.
1. Offline

He's been off the grid for one day.

Gibbs spends all afternoon in MTAC.

It's been two days and anxious energy fills the bullpen.

Ziva paces like an animal in a zoo.

McGee throws himself into backing up case files.

On day three, McGee receives a text from a burner cell.

 _Send Ziva. I'll send coordinates._

 _-.-.-.-_

He's slipping in and out of conciseness when he hears someone picking the lock to his door.

His hand slides under his pillow and he wonders if he'll have the strength to hold the gun.

 _Shh Tony, I'm here._

Her bag drops to the floor and the mattress dips from her weight.

She speaks in a combination of English and Hebrew.

 _It's ok. I'm here Motek._

Her voice is soft and caring, which confuses him.

Ziva doesn't whisper. She yells.

-.-.-.-

He tries to focus on her.

On the heat radiating from her hands as she pulls back the blood soaked bandage on his shoulder.

He bites his tongue, refusing to let out a sound as she lightly touches the wound.

 _Where's the bullet?_

He nods to the dresser.

She glances over, a pair of forceps and a red bullet sit next to one another.

Her stomach clenches and she knows she won't eat tonight.

His eyes start to droop and he fights the urge to sleep.

 _Go to sleep Tony. I'm right here._

 _-.-.-.-_

He wakes to a weight on his chest.

When he glances down all he can see is dark brown hair.

 _Ziva_

She stirs, lifting her head.

Her smile makes his chest tighten.

She brushes the hair from his forehead, placing her palm against it.

 _Your fever's gone._

 _-.-.-.-_

She cleans his wound, and silence fills the room as she rips the medical tape with her teeth.

He studies her as she passes him pills and a bottle of water.

His eyes are drooping again.

He can hear her on the phone as he gives in to sleep.

 _We still need a few days. Yes, I will keep you updated._

While he sleeps she goes for food.

He's sitting up in bed when she returns.

She can't help but notice how pale he still is.

 _How do you feel?_

They eat in silence, one of her legs draped over his.

-.-.-.-

She helps him to the bathroom.

She starts to follow and he shoots her a look.

 _I've got it._

She stares at the door till he returns.

A sigh escapes his lips as she once again dresses his wound.

When she's done he's staring at her as if she's the only person on the planet.

Maybe to him, she is.

-.-.-.-

 _You need to sleep._

 _I'm done sleeping._

They stare at one another, both refusing to give in.

She huffs, and lays down against the wall.

His head sinks into his pillow.

They slowly move closer to one another, their limbs becoming intertwined.

She cups his face with her hand, her thumb brushing across his cheek.

They both know things could have been worse.

 _I was afraid we lost you._

He knows 'we' means 'I'.

-.-.-.-

He wakes up to find her buried into his side, her arm draped across his chest.

His mind flashes back to their first undercover operation. Then to Paris.

To them sharing a room and bed for the night.

She lets out a loud snore and he rolls his eyes.

Some things never change.

-.-.-.-

She wakes up to him staring at her.

 _What?_

 _Thank you for coming._

She smiles. Presses her lips to his.

 _I've got your back._

 _-.-.-.-_

They leave that afternoon.

She drives under the speed limit and he smiles to himself.

Her arm drops from his waist as the C1-30 comes into view.

He wants to tell her he doesn't care if they see her helping him into the plane.

-.-.-.-

Time to go home.


	2. Partners

This one shot is a little AU. I hope everyone enjoys it. Please let me know what you think!

-.-.-.-

It's at one of her first crimes scenes back that she has a panic attack. She and Tony are searching through the living room for evidence and the next thing he knows she's crouched down on her heels, trying to control her breathing. He's pretty sure it was the slam of a wooden gate outside that set it off.

He moves to comfort her, but Ducky beats him to it. It's also Ducky who is able to calm her down, talking her through slowing her breathing. Anger and jealously shoots through Tony as he watches them. He should be the one helping her. After all, she's been staying with him for close to a few months now. He's all too familiar with the nightmares that plaque her almost every night.

Once she's back on her feet Gibbs sends her outside to take witness statements. Tony watches her leave and tries not to notice how she avoids his gaze. Gibbs snaps at him to get back to work and he nods.

When they return to the office Gibbs specifically sends Ziva down to Abby's lab. Tony has a feeling it's to get her away from the worried looks of him and McGee. Gibbs takes off to speak to the Director. Tony places his gun in its drawer and slams it closed. He knows he shouldn't be angry, jealous or hurt. But he is.

"You can't protect her." McGee tells him from his desk.

"Yes I can!" Tony yells, his voice bouncing off the bullpen walls, his emotions finally coming out. "You forget, I brought her back from the dead!" He stands, ready to make his way out of their office space. To where, he's not quite sure.

"Hey!" McGee's voice is low but firm. Tony whirls around, his eyes ablaze with anger. "You weren't the only one who brought her back, remember? I was in that cell too!" Tony stares at him. "I almost lost _two_ partners that day. Did you ever stop to think about that?" Tony's eyes harden. He opens his mouth to reply but McGee continues. "I know you love her. I'm not blind. And I'm glad she has someone who cares about her. But you need to remember that there's three of us in this partnership, not two!" He turns and leaves, heading in the direction of Abby's lab.

Tony's in the bathroom, bent over the sink when Ziva finds him. He knows it's her after the lock on the door clicks. She stands behind him for a few moments, silent. When he doesn't turn to look at her, she speaks.

"What did you say to McGee?"

He suppress a quip about how the probie tattled on him as he turns towards her. His eyes are still on fire, but Ziva doesn't flinch. She has seen him in worse situations. She has seen him with the desire to kill in his eyes. This is nothing compared to that.

"I told him the truth." He spits out. "I told him that I was the one who should be protecting you." She doesn't respond. Instead she studies him. "I told him, that I was the one who brought you back." He moves towards her, stands chest to chest with her. "You were dead, Ziva. Everyone thought you were dead. NCIS. _Mossad_." She swallows but doesn't look away from him. "Everyone but _me_." She slides a hand behind his head, up into his hair. "I knew you weren't dead."

"I know." Her other hand is in his hair now and he presses his forehead to hers. "I know Tony." Her voice is soft, reassuring. He places his hands on her hips and she can feel them trembling. "I am sorry I did not come to you at the crime scene. Ducky got to me first and I did not want Gibbs to think…"

"That I care about my partner?" Tony hisses.

Ziva pulls her head away from his so she can look at him. "We agreed we would take things slow, yes?" She scans his eyes, which have changed back to light green. "We both need time to figure things out." She moves a hand to cup his cheek and he nods.

"I know. I just…I felt like I wasn't doing my job. I'm your _partner_ Ziva." Her heart flutters at the word partner. It's a word that has taken on a new meaning to them since she came back from Somalia.

Her other hand slides from his hair to cup his other cheek. "Do not ever think you are not helping me Tony." She swallows. "Gibbs is not the one who holds me at night. Ducky is not the one who wakes me from my nightmares. McGee is not the one who knows when I need to talk about things. You are. You are my partner, Tony."

He pulls her to his chest and bites his lip to keep the tears from falling. They stand there for several minutes, both of them silent. A banging on the door interrupts them.

"Guys I know you're in there!" McGee yells.

They pull apart and Ziva chuckles at the annoyed look on Tony's face. "Damn probie." She pats his cheek and watches as he goes to unlock the door. He swings it open and gives McGee a classic annoyed DiNozzo look. "Need something McNosey?"

"Gibbs needs us to go interview the Petty Officer's CO." Tony nods and watches as Ziva slips by him through the doorway. She shoots him a smirk as she heads to her desk. Tony follows her as McGee clearly resists the urge to say something about them being in the bathroom together.

"Do not leave him on the side of the road, Tony." Ziva says as they make their way to the elevator.

McGee looks back at Ziva. "Why would you leave me on the side of the road?" Tony doesn't answer. "DiNozzo!"

The elevator doors close as Tony chuckles.

-.-.-.-


End file.
